Angela Rayner is set to introduce tougher sanctions on English councils that block local housing developments, potentially forcing them to approve new homes or risk losing control of their planning departments to Whitehall. The housing secretary is reportedly frustrated with ongoing delays in the planning system and plans to reduce the threshold for triggering central government intervention.
Under the new rules, expected before the end of the year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will lower the percentage of planning appeals that can be overturned before sanctions are imposed, from 10% to 5%. Hundreds of councils are likely to fall foul of the stricter criteria as the government pushes to meet its target of 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament.
Rayner is also expected to force more councils to rewrite their local plans to include higher housing targets, or be stripped of local decision-making powers. An MHCLG spokesperson said the government is exploring plans to make it easier to intervene where councils consistently make poor-quality decisions that prevent the delivery of homes and infrastructure.
However, planning bodies argue that housebuilders already have a surplus of approvals and that the real barrier to increased housing starts is economic slowdown and developers' reluctance to flood the market. Local authorities like Horsham district council are challenging planning decisions, citing sustainability concerns and lack of transport options, while also facing pressure to meet net zero targets.
The Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association have objected to the move, calling for more support from central government rather than tougher sanctions. Robbie Calvert of the RTPI emphasised the need for effective investment to achieve quality decisions, while Hugh Ellis of the TCPA warned that carefully crafted local plans are being ripped up to the detriment of the local environment.
